Sunday, January 31, 2010

One of the challenges and something I actually enjoy when I'm in Mexico is finding the needed equipment to brew beer. Part of the enjoyment of this process is looking for alternative ways to use the equipment that seems limiting but is in fact nearly as effective as the better equipment I normally use back in the states.

In this video which Susan says is "long and boring", but which I find facinating, I was determined to mash and sparge my grain using a few buckets that I got from the local super mercado. I don't fully explain the logic of the heated water during the video so I'll fill you in here. I didn't want to put the entire amount of sparge water into the hot liquor tank (top bucket on the chair) because I figured the temperature would drop too quickly for the fourty five minutes that I planned for the sparge. So, I heated half the amount needed and started the process while I kept the other half on the burner to pour in later. After I poured the second amount of hot water into the HLT I was able to start collecting the wort in the boil kettle.

If you've got limited band width like I do, you may want to check out some of the other posts below while the video buffers.

I hope this video has helped to make clear that when it comes right down to it, beer can be make with the most rudimentary means. If you've got ideas like this to share, leave a comment.